Dropbox

Type: Storage Service

Best Website For: Online file storage

Reason it's on The Best Sites:

People love Dropbox. Are there better online storage services? Maybe. But it doesn't matter because most people have Dropbox accounts so it is quite easy to share with other people. You can also upload files and make them publicly available. This service has everything you need in an online storage service.

Jump To:

Dropbox on

Price:

Audience:

Updated:

Title:

Author:

Rating:

Downloads:

500,000,000 - 1,000,000,000

Price:

Free

Audience:

Everyone

Updated:

February 6, 2018

Dropbox is a creative collaboration space designed to reduce busywork, bring your files together in one central place, and safely sync them across all your devices—so you can access them anytime, anywhere. And sending large files is easy, even to people who don’t have a Dropbox account. Features like the doc scanner, shared folders, offline access, and more, make collaborating with others’ simple.

Features: • Work on files with others through shared folders • Use the document scanner to turn receipts, whiteboards, and notes into PDFs • Comment on files to share feedback with your team • Sync, share, and edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files

Dropbox on the iTunes Store

Price:

Audience:

Updated:

Title:

Author:

Rating:

Price:

Free

Audience:

4+

Updated:

January 30, 2018

Dropbox is a creative collaboration space designed to reduce busywork, bring your files together in one central place, and safely sync them across all your devices—so you can access them anytime, anywhere. And sending large files is easy, even to people who don’t have a Dropbox account. Features like the doc scanner, shared folders, offline access, and more make collaborating with others simple.

Features:
• Work on files with others through shared folders
• Use the doc scanner to turn receipts, whiteboards, and notes into PDFs
• Comment on files to share feedback with your team
• Sync, share, and edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files

We offer a free 30-day trial and in-app purchases for Dropbox Plus. Existing Dropbox Plus customers can also upgrade to Dropbox Professional. Both plans include 1 TB of storage and so much more. The amount will be charged to your iTunes account and will vary by plan and country. You’ll see the total price before completing payment.

Dropbox subscriptions purchased in-app renew monthly or yearly depending on your plan. Plan pricing may vary by country. To avoid renewal, you must turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours before your subscription ends. You can turn off auto-renew at any time from your iTunes account settings. Dropbox also offers one-month trials for monthly subscriptions.

When you’re given an opportunity—whether it’s a promotion, potential customer, or learning experience—the most natural response is to say yes. Why not accept a higher salary? Why refuse a chance to study abroad? The reality, however, is that most of us say yes too much, too quickly, and without enough thought. We’re wired to please others, and we’ve been conditioned to think all opportunities are good things.

So instead of always saying yes, ask yourself these five questions first.

1. Am I just trying to be polite?

Suppose your boss just gave you an offer—a chance to lead a popular project at work. But for some reason, you’ve got mixed feelings. Ask yourself: What’s attracting you to the possibility, and what’s pushing you away? Perhaps you’re not interested in the project itself, but you’d like to make your boss happy. Or maybe you’re scared how the team will react if you say no.

Either way, if your main motivation is pleasing—or appeasing—others, you should probably decline. Not only is politeness a bad reason to accept an opportunity: it can often wind up harming the colleagues you originally wanted to make happy. Turning down your boss might be awkward in the moment, but it’s worth the brief discomfort to save yourself from months of work you didn’t want in the first place.

2. Will another opportunity come at the expense of this one?

Maybe you’ve just started your own business, and you’ve got a big potential customer on the line. It’s your chance to lock in three months of revenue, guaranteed. And yet, the customers’ demands are high—high enough that you’d probably have to put most of your hiring and marketing on hold just to hold up your end of the deal.

It might be better to say no. Every opportunity you accept means there’s less time for another one, and sometimes, the future opportunity is more important to your longterm success. Figuring out what you can afford to not do is often the best first step toward figuring out what you can do.

3. Is the opportunity based on a misunderstanding?

Imagine your organization needs someone to take a month-long trip to offices across Europe, North America, and Asia. Even though you’ve got local work to focus on, you’ve made a reputation for yourself. You’re easygoing and up for anything—the perfect candidate for such a job.

Or are you? Sometimes, you can get an opportunity based on misconceptions and misinformation. Maybe the team thinks you’d be good at sales, when really, you just have strong opinions in meetings. Perhaps your boss wants you to review international spending—but it’s under a false assumption you love numbers and budgeting.

Whatever the case, make sure underlying assumptions like these are cleared up before you say yes. It’s tempting to grit your teeth and agree to the task, but you’ll likely only reinforce the misconceptions. Instead, try using a bit of honesty to set the record straight and explore alternatives.

4. Does the opportunity build toward something greater?

Maybe you’re a freelance designer, and a big corporation wants some help with their website. They’re making you a handsome offer, and even better, the project won’t interfere with your other clients. Still, corporate websites don’t get you excited. You’d prefer to work with smaller teams—start-ups taking on risky projects that match your design sensibilities. What should you do?

Unless you really need the money, it might be better to pass. Every opportunity you take—even the small ones—should move you closer to your long-term goals in some way. Perhaps the offer will lead to great connections. Maybe you’ll add a few key bullets to your résumé. But if an opportunity doesn’t fit anywhere in your plan—or worse, takes you further from your ultimate goals—think twice before saying yes. The first step is thinking critically about what a meaningful career means to you.

5. Did I accidentally already say yes?

Sometimes you don’t realize you’re looking at a bad opportunity until you’ve already agreed to it. It’s simply too easy to get swept up in the moment, to say yes before you’ve had a chance to think it through.

The solution? Just say you’ve change your mind. Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos says if you want to be right, you have to change your mind frequently. Apple CEO Tim Cook says Steve Jobs was “an awesome flip-flopper.” The two executives might have held strong opinions, but they were willing to change course the moment they saw a better solution.

Too often, we become entrenched after we’ve agreed to something, repeatedly justifying the decision even after if we’ve come to resent it. So next time you wake up feeling uneasy about yesterday’s commitment, consider telling your team you simply had a change of heart. You’ll save the team months of regret in exchange for one awkward meeting.

The best part about saying no to many opportunities is how great it feels when the right one comes along. Once you make asking these questions a habit, you’ll quickly see how much more the good opportunities start to stand out.

Creativity isn’t just for creatives any more. In fact, creativity is widely credited for giving people in business a competitive edge. And it turns out, everyone has some. In fact, you’re likely more creative than you think. Take the quiz that lets you see your CQ, or creative intelligence. Wherever you fall on the scale, the good news is that your CQ is not fixed like your IQ. You can actually boost it by working more creatively. Here’s how.

1. Pay attention

“Fortune favors the prepared mind.” — Louis Pasteur

We often think of creativity as the lightbulb moment where we leap from the known to something unprecedented. But in truth, it is careful attention to what is that helps chart our course to what could be. In fact, research shows that simply being more curious can significantly benefit your career by improving your performance and enhancing your workplace relationships.

All it takes to get started is observation. Ask yourself a question about something you are trying to solve or create. And then, simply pay attention. Carry a notebook and write down what you see and think. Seek new experiences and read widely outside your field. Keep a running log of ideas, open questions, or hunches.

World Bicycle Relief’s innovation began this way: by seeing a need for mobilization in developing countries, then observing ways to meet the need. From studying bike performance in specific terrains to continuously gathering user feedback to improve their riding experience, a practice of inquiry has enabled WBR to increase mobilization and help transform the communities they serve.

WBR shows us how tomorrow’s solutions begin with what is observable today.

2. Make connections

“There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception.” ― Aldous Huxley

What should we do with the data points we gather? Research suggests that making connections puts knowledge in service to our goals. Fantasy, daydreaming, and gestation (not to be confused with procrastination) are ways to sidestep our proscribed paths of thinking and connect the dots in unexpected ways.

Or, as Benjamin Franklin famously did, review your notes daily. You may have a series of hunches or insights that cross-fertilize over time into a new idea. Even when your inquiries lead deeper into the unknown, this can stretch your capacity to imagine and create.

Keep in mind that we’re constantly building on what came before. Within every new possibility is the iterative seed of something already solved well by someone out there. That’s why it also helps to ask yourself who else has faced this problem—especially those beyond your sphere of work and influence. When you seek out and adapt solutions or approaches from other industries or thought leaders, this can unearth surprising new possibilities.

Australia’s pioneering construction company Built is using this approach to disrupt its industry and sustain a competitive advantage. In one of the least digitized industries of the world according to McKinsey, this company is integrating digital tools and files to streamline the bidding process and improve workflow and productivity, while keeping international teams on the same page. This has helped Built become more collaborative, transparent, and profitable.

How could you translate best practices from other industries to benefit your process, partners, and clients?

3. Collaborate

“If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” — Isaac Newton

Most of us innovate better together than we do alone. In fact, collaboration is widely recognized today as a key driver of creativity and growth in businesses of every kind. What’s tricky is bringing people together in ways that leverage everyone’s best thinking in service to real breakthroughs.

With its Gemini Planet Imager (GPI), the first camera to capture images of planets rather than their shadows, SETI generates terabytes of raw, complex data points. The company uses technology to enable 100 researchers of varying specialties across the Americas to analyze the same data sets at the same time. This collaborative process has led to the discovery of 51 Eridani b, a Jupiter-like planet 100 light years away from Earth.

From the cosmos to the conference room, we do better together. When we collectively observe, make connections, and share ideas, we can draw from a kaleidoscope of perspectives to see even further than the giants who have come before us.

As your creative intelligence grows, so will your impact and satisfaction. You will awaken to new ideas and explore new frontiers. The work you produce will drive commerce, jobs, and economies. And you will likely find more of what you are seeking.

Will robots be competitors or co-workers? Do machines truly pose an existential threat to human usefulness? Thanks to movies like Blade Runner, Terminator, and The Matrix, we’ve been dreading it for decades. Even as the push for productivity makes it feel more like we’re trying to take the robots’ jobs, a lot of us still worry about being replaced by automatons. And it’s not just factory workers. At the recent Davos conference, AI and its impact on the future of work was top of mind for many of the world’s economic leaders. So how can humans prepare and position ourselves for changing roles in the near future? Here are five jobs that are likely to stay in demand—and become easier—as more workers begin collaborating with robots.

1. Healthcare workers

Though automation definitely helps us do rote tasks faster, when it comes to caring for our loved ones, the human elements of warmth and empathy are likely to continue to be valued over efficiency alone. As author Blake Morgan put it: “If you had an MRI and were awaiting a diagnosis, would you want that diagnosis to come from a robot?”

That may be why the jobs least in jeopardy of being replaced by automation include occupational therapists, mental health social workers, and nurses. In fact, a 2013 Oxford study estimated that there’s less than a 1% chance that nursing jobs will be automated. Though automation-assisted surgery is already a reality, robots aren’t on the verge of making the surgeon’s job obsolete. As Wired noted, it’s more likely that doctors and robots will team up like superheroes. That’s good news for patients—because studies suggest robots could help prevent mistakes during surgeries.

2. Artists, designers, and musicians

It’s a fact. Robots can make art. So can monkeys—but they haven’t taken over the galleries yet. In the world of design, some are making bold predictions about “fearlessly creative” computers designing hyper-personalized products. But others are skeptical about their job-robbing potential. In fact, according to one computer scientist in Australia, the most “robot-immune careers” are ones where workers need to be creative.

Still, enterprising researchers are out to prove AI can write tunes and create paintings. So who needs unpredictable pop stars and moody artists? Humans do. For the same reason I wouldn’t want to get cornered in a conversation with a robot at a party, I’d take any soulfully imperfect track over an auto-tuned groove made by a machine imitating emotions it can’t feel. But if the evolution from drum machines to samples to digital recording is any indication, technology will continue to make a musician’s job a lot easier.

3. Entrepreneurs

Robots are great at doing what programmers tell them to do. But how good are they at seeing jobs that aren’t being done, then inventing new technologies to fill the need? According to Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee, co-authors of The Second Machine Age, “There is no better time to be an entrepreneur with an insight than today, because you can use technology to leverage your invention.” One advantage we have is our capacity to see potential connections between seemingly unrelated industries, and invent new tools to bridge the gaps.

It also remains to be seen whether robots can lead teams (of presumably human workers) and build businesses that continue to innovate and adapt. Being an entrepreneur requires a willingness to take risks and make irrational choices. So unpredictability might be one of the biggest advantages human entrepreneurs have over their robotic counterparts.

4. Salespeople

Predictive-marketing software is so reliable at telling when prospects will make a purchase, it now outperforms human salespeople about 90% of the time. But there’s a big difference between being able to tell when an apple is ripe and being able to make an apple pie. That’s why bots won’t be bumping out salespeople for a while. To close the deal, you need to know more than just when someone is most likely to buy.

That’s because people don’t always make rational purchasing decisions. People understand that better than robots do. We’re also better equipped to build trust and develop relationships with our prospects. So as amazing as predictive-marketing software is, its real value is enabling salespeople to focus on closing the deal. That’s why experts expect the relationship to continue to be more complementary than competitive.

5. Teachers

A study by McKinsey showed that education is one of the sectors that’s least susceptible to automation. Much the same as with healthcare, human empathy is hard to replace when the job requires an intuitive understanding of complex emotional creatures like kindergartners. True, robots might get less rattled by tantrums. And okay, maybe they can deal with moody young ones with a steady mechanical patience no human can match.

But teaching takes more than Herculean levels of endurance. It takes the ability to navigate sometimes turbulent relationships between the students and handle concerns from their parents as well. Author Malcolm Frank anticipates a collaborative dynamic, where boring chores like reviewing homework are handled by AI so human teachers can concentrate on “higher impact, more creative work.”

Once you get past the hype of worst-case scenarios, it’s easier to see how AI is less likely to replace us and more likely to enhance the way we work. As automation takes busy work off our hands, we’ll have more time to focus on what we want to do—and what we do best.

At Dropbox, we’re committed to creating an environment where everyone feels inspired to create their best work and achieve what they previously could only imagine. To do this, we need a diverse team of people who represent different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) isn’t just the right thing, it’s mission critical. That’s why we’re working every day to build a diverse and inclusive culture at Dropbox, a place where all employees feel a sense of pride and belonging.

In the past year, our team has invested in designing the right approach and identifying the proper resources and measurement tools needed to make progress. Here’s a snapshot of what’s been happening:

Hired a Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Angela Roseboro joined Dropbox in December and she will be responsible for leading our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. She has more than twenty years of HR experience, and has held positions leading diversity and inclusion, talent management, and leadership development teams.

Amped up recruitment: We deployed a dedicated diversity recruiting and sourcing team to attract great talent at all levels and expand our reach to diverse communities.

Conducted focus groups to assess our diversity efforts: We completed more than 60 global focus groups to help us identify how Dropboxers perceive diversity and inclusion within the company. As a result, we’ve created a number of working groups to develop and execute action plans.

Implemented diversity workshops: We designed and implemented a two-hour interactive workshop using actors to demonstrate the impact of unconscious bias in the workplace. Built on previous workshops focused on awareness, this workshop concentrates on building inclusive behaviors, providing Dropboxers with real-life tools to navigate sensitive situations and have valuable conversations.

Created Launch internship program: We kicked off the Dropbox Launch internship for Dropbox engineering in 2017. Launch is a program that provides a first internship experience to technical students from diverse backgrounds.

Launched Veterans Employee Resource Group: Our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) continue to be an asset in providing us with insights and perspective on our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. In 2017, we were excited to launch our Vets@ ERG, giving us further opportunities to build awareness and an inclusive culture for all Dropboxers.

The percentage of women in technical roles increased 2 percentage points to 23%

US ethnic diversity

Our minority representation (including Asians, Hispanics, Blacks, American Indian/Pacific Islander, and people of two or more races) rose one percentage point to 45% of the employee population. However, we remained flat in our representation of Blacks and Hispanics at Dropbox. Although we’ve seen progress in some areas, we know that to make sustainable progress we have to be more purposeful and deliberate in how we recruit, retain and advance diverse talent.

With each year our goal is to have our Dropbox community grow stronger, broader, and better reflect the world we live in. For us, diversity, equity, and inclusion is not about creating advantages for some, but removing barriers for all to fully leverage the talents of each of our Dropboxers. There is still work to do, but we are committed to this journey and will continue to not only share our progress, but our challenges as well.

Data as of 12/31/2017; race stats are US only and include employees who self-identify; percentages rounded to the nearest whole number

Esprit de corps. Shared purpose. Putting our heads together. Conventional wisdom suggests that group effort is essential to success in the workplace. But when it comes to finding creative inspiration, too much face-to-face team time might actually put us at a disadvantage. Great minds may think alike, but do we really think better together?

Only under the right conditions, suggests Paul Paulus, a psychology professor at the University of Texas. Noting that unique ideas are often drowned out or withheld during group discussions, Paulus investigated the benefits of “brainwriting”1—a process in which individuals share creative ideas in a written format. His findings: Written collaboration is more effective than a face-to-face exchange because individuals are able to fully reflect on ideas and incubate their own responses.

Why is inwardly focused reflection so essential to great ideas? According to Scott Barry Kaufman and Carolyn Gregoire, authors of Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind, solitude activates our “imagination network2”—the default neural state when attention isn’t focused on the outside world. This network is what constructs meaning from experiences and stories, helps us reflect on thoughts and emotions, and imagines future scenarios.

Most introverts—inwardly focused souls who recharge when alone—already appreciate the power of quiet contemplation to jumpstart creativity. But even if you’re an externally focused, interaction-fueled extrovert, stepping into an introspective space can deepen your creative process.

Whatever your Myers–Briggs personality type, here are a few ways to find your inner focus at work and tap into inspiration:

1. Find your happy place

As author Susan Cain suggests in Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, we each have an ideal zone of stimulation.3 The buzz of a busy coffee shop may provide extroverts with the perfect level of distraction needed to access unconscious ideas, while introverts typically fare better in peaceful, private spaces.

Unfortunately, the open-office plans favored by most modern workplaces were designed for frequent interaction and high levels of stimulation—the antithesis of creativity-enhancing solitude. Thanks to a recent backlash against these constant collaboration zones, some companies are rethinking their layouts, bringing in privacy pods and refuge rooms (Cain herself has created her own line of “Quiet Spaces4” with design company Steelhouse).

If your workplace isn’t quite so forward thinking, take time to create your own interruption-proof thinking space. Physical barriers—a folding screen or wall of plants—can block visual distractions; headphones help drown out acoustic interruptions—and signal that you’re unavailable for chatting. Make sure to communicate the reasoning behind your isolationism to colleagues: You’re not avoiding them so much as seeking QT with your creative thoughts.

2. Manage your meetings

Ever since business guru Alex Osborn introduced “brainstorming” in the late 1940s, companies have placed their faith in these free-for-all group sessions. But research shows that individuals bring more ideas to the table5 when they have time to think on their own, as opposed to only engaging in face-to-face brainstorms.

In response, some companies are instituting a technique that associate professor Loran Nordgren of the Kellogg School of Management calls “private data collection”6—generating ideas solo and then using group time to evaluate their merits. If your workplace is still wedded to the whiteboard? Request the meeting agenda in advance and find quiet time to brainstorm alone.

As for those ubiquitous after-work social events, Morra Aarons-Mele, author of Hiding in the Bathroom: An Introvert’s Roadmap to Getting Out There, says the key to strategic networking7 is to focus on your reason for being there. “If you don’t have a goal, if you feel it’s a waste of your time,” says Aarons-Mele, “then leave.”

3. Take control of your tech

Always on and never alone: The new, hyper-connected normal may excite some extroverts, but to introverts, it’s the stuff of horror movies. No matter where you hide, energy-sucking others are just a message alert away.

The paradox: Technology can actually encourage inward focus8. Online communiques, which allow for deliberation and careful response, have replaced most of our off-the-cuff conversation. Social media and sites like LinkedIn make it possible to network and keep in touch without navigating a cocktail party. Even creative collaboration can occur in the virtual realm—a space where no one needs to shout to be heard.

The key to making tech an effective tool for contemplation, rather than a source of distraction: Rethinking your relationship with gadgets so that you’re the one in charge. Rather than passively accepting their intrusions, use voice mail, email, and IMs as virtual bouncers to keep interruptions at bay. Establish and stick to a firm schedule for checking devices and turn them off entirely whenever you’re in a restorative alone zone.

4. Incubate the unconscious

Ever wonder why inspiration so often appears while you’re in the shower or starring out the subway window? When creative challenges aren’t the focus of attention—essentially placed on the brain’s “back burner”—our imagination network kicks in and begins to form associations and ideas. Even psychologist Carl Jung, in his early studies of introversion, recognized the power of unconscious thought9” to “bring the inside to the outside as nothing else can.”

It’s possible to maximize moments of quiet time by actively tapping into this powerful mechanism. Rather than sitting in a room with a blank sheet of paper, research suggests that mild distraction facilitates creative incubation10. Look for simple external tasks—doodling, knitting, walking, washing the dishes—to take your conscious mind off the challenge at hand.

As you learn to toggle back and forth between focused thought and unconscious ideation—and between moments of creativity-restoring solitude and externally focused interactions—you’ll be operating at your creative best, a great mind ready to contribute to the team.

When you think about your favorite day of work, what comes to mind? Was it the day you answered 80 emails in an two-hour sprint? Or was it the day you discovered a new way to solve a problem you’d wrestled with for weeks? Chances are, you remember the day you did your best work better than the day you did the most work.

Why is that? When it seems like every app is asking you to fill every minute with new activities to track, measure, and optimize, sometimes just chasing an idea can feel gratifying. Creativity isn’t the enemy of productivity. It’s the fuel that keeps the engine running. That’s what we mean when we talk about creative energy, and why Dropbox is so passionate about finding ways to keep it flowing. We want to put the grind behind us. We want to make work feel less like a hamster wheel and more like a Sunday drive. Here are five steps to get started.

Give yourself time

Creativity is hard to quantify. It can’t be measured by how many ideas you produce in an eight-hour day. It’s all about the impact—not just on your business, but on you and how you feel about your work. When you’re in a “flow state,”1 you lose track of time. That’s a good thing. When you’re lost on a train of thought, you’re not watching the clock. You’re not waiting to slide down the dinosaur. And you’re not worrying about a deadline.

As Art Markman points out, “Productive people move through the tasks they have to accomplish in a systematic way… They make effective and efficient use of their time. Creativity… doesn’t.”2 Part of the reason is, creative problem solving can take an immense amount of research. It often requires more input than output. That doesn’t mean the time spent isn’t productive.

Step one: Stop searching for more efficient ways to do the same thing over and over. Set aside an hour a week devoted to a new project. Spend that time doing something you want to do, instead of something you’ve been asked to do. See how it feels to play with an idea instead of working on one. Does that hour of exploration seem to go faster than your weekly status meeting?

Think beyond tasks

Even on productive days, it can feel like you’re adding mileage without moving anywhere. That’s especially true when you spend your whole day picking the low-hanging fruit of easy-to-finish tasks. But you’re not a hamster, and your job’s not the wheel. Studies show everyone wants meaningful work—not just millennials.3 If you feel trapped in a never-ending cycle of tasks and to-dos, though, it can be hard to see the big-picture purpose of your job.

Step two: Take a break from repetitive tasks and spend a day working on big ideas with an eye on long-term goals. At Dropbox, we encourage our teams to step away from their day-to-day work and devote a week to exploring blue-sky ideas. It’s more than just a break from our routine. Some Hack Week projects have led to the development of new features, like Dropbox Smart Sync.

Prioritize quality over quantity

What happens when we minimize chores and make more time for meaningful work? Shifting focus from quantity to quality might sound like it could threaten the bottom line of businesses. But recent research4 shows that companies with a culture of innovation actually see payoffs in terms of growth and profitability.

The push for productivity doesn’t seem to end when business hours are over. You can see its effect on our relationship to entertainment, too. Second screening is proof that we’re trying to make even our downtime more productive. Technology has made us super-efficient consumers of media. You probably watch more movies and hear more music now than you did as a kid. But do you feel more entertained? Or do you feel stressed by the fear of missing out?

Step three: Instead of passively scrolling through 25 headlines, try reading two full long-form articles. Or instead of watching 10 online videos, pick one new movie to watch. Taking deeper dives into one story might give you the same kind of fix, but with a more satisfying result.

Change your metrics

Time is a limited resource. But creativity doesn’t have to compete with productivity for your attention. It’s a matter of finding balance—and changing the way we measure the value of both. Learning how to find creative flow is time well spent when employees feel valued for the impact of their ideas as much as the number of hours they work.

Some companies obsess over growth and push to produce more every year. But overwhelming workloads can lead to employee burnout5 when hiring hasn’t kept up with growth. Could they improve employee retention just by shifting the way they measure results? And are workers less likely to burn out when they feel like they’re doing meaningful work?

Step four: Think of a new way to quantify your work. Stop keeping track of the number of boxes you tick, and start thinking more about exploring new ways to do old tasks. Create a spreadsheet to capture fringe ideas for projects. Challenge yourself to spend a few more minutes every week daydreaming.

Wander a while

When you’re struggling to solve a problem, it’s easy to get into the habit of endlessly researching how others have approached similar issues. But sometimes concentrating harder is the opposite of what you need to do. Studies show6 that letting your mind wander can make creative problem solving easier. So it’s helpful to unplug from external sources and turn to your instincts. And though your job title might make you think you’re not creative, anytime you’re using your imagination to solve a problem, you’re tapping into your creativity.

Step five: Next time you’re writing and having trouble finding the right words, resist the urge to sit down and scroll through an online Thesaurus. Get up, go outside, and take a walk around the block. Instead of fixating on the search for the perfect word, clear your mind and give your total attention to your senses. Forgetting about the problem for a few minutes might make it easier for the solution to present itself naturally.

For independent filmmakers, getting a chance to direct a big Hollywood movie can be a mixed blessing. Sure, you’ll make more money, get more resources, and work with higher-profile actors. But you’re also likely to wind up with less control and more red tape. Such was the experience of three directors at the “Power of Story: Indies Go Hollywood”—a Sundance Film Festival panel presented by Dropbox. Here’s how Justin Lin, Catherine Hardwicke, and Taika Waititi adjusted to their new roles—plus their tips for dealing with the challenges that come with success.

When panelist Justin Lin was making Better Luck Tomorrow (2002), he took out 10 credit cards just to keep production rolling. Desperate for more financial backing, he remembers spending months writing essays to cater to potential investors. It wasn’t until he got a rejection—and responded with an anger-filled rant detailing his true vision—that he finally got the backing he wanted.

“I’ve always thought I had to do whatever to get the funding,” Justin said. “When you do that, you see how fast you can compromise. [You have to] be able to say no and fight for your vision.”

It’s a lesson he’s taken to big studio films, a résumé that now includes four “Fast and Furious” films and the recent blockbuster Star Trek: Beyond (2016). Even when studios have opinions, Justin reasons, they still picked him and his vision for a reason. And to him, that vision is just as important in a budget indie as it is in a studio blockbuster.

Get (way more) organized

Any film takes a tremendous amount of organization and collaboration. But the stakes rise much higher for big-budget studio movies. With an independent film, you might have more leeway to experiment, reshoot, and scrap ideas. For big-budget projects, however, a wasted day of filming can mean $500K gone on the second unit alone. That’s why each panelist said organization was so important once they went from indie filmmaking to Hollywood studios.

“I knew I just had that many minutes [to film a scene] and X number of days to shoot, or I blew it,” said panelist Catherine Hardwicke, an archiect turned product deisgner, turned director—her credits range from the indie darling Thirteen (2003) to the worldwide sensation hit Twilight (2008). When she was directing Twilight, Hardwicke recalls cutting a whole action sequence the night before a shoot, just because she knew the crew and cast wouldn’t have time. You’ve got to “get [the film] in your bones,” she said. “I would always diagram out every little bit and be as prepared as I could.”

Remember to be human

When indie directors get a studio gig, they wind up with far more toys to play with—from exotic locations to elaborate computer graphics. But the panelists agreed that the big-budget fare works best when it maintains an indie’s sense of humanity.

Panelist Taika Waititi said he brings a similar mindset regardless of the type of film. “A dollar budget, a million-dollar budget, it’s just two people trying to remember their lines, in a rectangle…trying to convince you that they like each other.” Taika got his directorial start with a series of award-winning shorts, then got his big break with Eagle vs. Shark, a charming and quirky romantic comedy that premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. The director went on to head up the studio giant Thor: Ragnarok (2017), which critics praised for its irreverent spirit and human appeal.

Whether you’re a big-time Hollywood filmmaker or just a day-to-day problem solver, the tips from these three directors can likely resonate with what you do. When they were asked to take their talents to the next level, the directors all emphasized how much more coordinated and collaborative they had to be. They each underscored how important it was to remain a human being. But perhaps most of all, they never forgot what got them there in the first place. And they used that knowledge on set to be successful again, even in a new environment.

Over 100 million people are expected to tune into the football game this Sunday. They’ll be watching 92 athletes compete on the biggest stage in American sports—but that won’t include one of the heroes from last year’s game.

New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman made what was widely regarded as the 2017 play of the year in sports: a deflected, off-a-knee, juggling catch among three opponents to keep the football inches off the ground, and his team alive in the largest comeback in the game’s history.

Tom Brady called it one of the greatest catches he’d ever seen.

But after suffering a season-ending knee injury this past summer, all Edelman can do in this year’s game is root for his teammates. His spirits remain high, though. We had the chance to meet Edelman for a video shoot, capturing how he uses Dropbox for his off-the-field creative projects. We all noticed how upbeat and positive he was—especially for someone who’s not able to do the thing he loves most.

Edelman is no aloof star athlete. After he asked how long I’ve been at Dropbox and some bonding over our shared Bay Area roots, I asked him what he’s been up to.

“The rehab’s going really well,” he said. “And doing things like this—videos, getting new gear out there, books. We just released Flying High 2, so we’re excited.”

An unlikely partnership

“We” consists of Edelman and his friends and partners at Superdigital, a marketing agency along the Charles River in Boston. Edelman first met Assaf Swissa, now-Creative Director at Superdigital, at Swissa’s father’s hair salon. Edelman wasn’t playing regularly for the team at the time, and the two formed a genuine friendship.

“Meeting Assaf just ignited this whole thing,” Edelman says. “Fans don’t always get to see who you really are, and being able to express my creative side has been fun. This has been a tough year, for sure. But I’m keeping my body and mind sharp and doing things that are fulfilling.”

One of those fulfilling projects has been Edelman’s second children’s book, Flying High 2 (co-written with Swissa). Jules the Squirrel overcomes the odds to keep up with Tom the Goat and Dont’a the Rhino—much like real-life Julian was an undersized, unheralded draft prospect.

“When someone’s chasing their dream and a person says, ‘you can’t do it,’ sometimes those people quit,” he says. “It’s not just in athletics—it’s in anything. So that was huge, being able to use our platform to spread the message of that underdog story and staying relentless.”

Getting to the magic

Like football, producing both Flying High books was a team effort. And that’s where Dropbox Paper came in. Edelman, Swissa, and the Superdigital team crafted the story and illustrations in Paper, passing ideas back and forth especially when Edelman was between rehab sessions and not able to visit Superdigital’s office.

“Julian’s got this hungry energy. He wants to make, he wants to build, he wants to do, and we love writing together,” Swissa says. “With Paper, you can see all of his comments in real time, and so we’re ideating in real time, and that’s so necessary for the creative process. If you have a head of steam and you have to stop for a distraction, it kills the flow. That doesn’t happen with Paper, and that’s how we get to the magic.”

Boston pride

Edelman may have sought out to motivate his fans through his creative work. But perhaps now more than ever, his fans have returned the favor and kept him going.

“When I’m walking down the street and someone yells, ‘JULES! Get better!’, that fires you up,” he says. “I wouldn’t want to be in any other place than Boston. I’ve been here for nine years and the community has been such a huge lift in my recovery process. I can’t wait to get back.”

When a groove becomes a rut, it may be time to reconsider your tried-and-true ways of being and working. Albert Einstein famously said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.” Creativity can be a powerful path to new ground and new vitality. Try these strategies to reboot, refresh, and keep your pilot light of inspiration burning.

1. Boost your mood

Positive mood can enhance creativity by giving us a panoramic view1. To bring an energy slump back to baseline—or move the needle to heights—experiment with input and output that uplift you. You could get physical by going for a hike, taking a yoga class, or getting a foot massage. If cuddling’s more your style, pet a dog (or your animal of choice). You won’t just feel better, research suggests you’ll also live longer2. No pets of your own? Go to a shelter, a cat café or a bunny tea. When you want a big lift, fast, music and gratitude are two reliable ways to get there. Grow happiness in a jar by writing down and savoring your happiest moments each day. Or tune into Pharrell Williams’ 24 Hours of Happy online for an around-the-clock virtual dance party.

2. Cleanse your palate

Facing the blank page of a new project can be intimidating, no matter how skilled or experienced we are. Sidestep resistance by energizing your transitions with activities that are outside your typical work and play zone. Get the proven benefits of art therapy and doodling (mindfulness, relief, focus) by tapping into the Zen of adult coloring books3. Or try reading a poem to pause linear thinking with a plunge into the true nature of consciousness. A free subscription at Poets.org makes this easy by delivering a daily poem to your inbox. When you emerge refreshed from your poem or pattern, the blank page may seem far more welcoming.

3. Recalibrate your rhythm

We all have our own rhythm for getting work done. For most of us, the sweet spot offers the spaciousness to gestate new ideas, without compromising momentum. Because procrastinators delay getting started, they may limit productivity—but increase creativity. In contrast, pre-crastinators (those who start and complete a task as soon as possible) may limit creativity by racing to the finish line. Whether you procrastinate or pre-crastinate4, try the opposite. If you’re slow to finish, set a tighter deadline for yourself—and meet it. Overcome with anxiety at the idea of letting a task go undone? Try pausing when you’re tempted to act. Notice what happens, then adjust your pace accordingly to arrive at your own best practice.

4. Just say yes

Many of us hesitate to share ideas until we’re certain they’re good ones. The improvisational strategy of “just say yes,”5 can help you leapfrog this bottleneck. It works like this. When brainstorming, respond to everything your partner says with, “Yes, and…” then riff on their idea by adding something new and taking the idea a little farther. Then your partner does the same. And so on. In this context, wrong ideas don’t exist. Instead, you’ll have a continuous volley of collaborative thinking that liberates creativity instead of squashing it. The point isn’t perfection—it’s to get loose and get possible, together.

5. Play make believe

Play is often credited and practiced as a way of promoting entrepreneurial thinking6. And playing make believe can relieve the pressure of the plausible. Try inventing “crazy” ideas that you’d never do to source innovative approaches you’ve never considered. Let’s say you need a huge infusion of cash to bring a new product to market. Your crazy idea of “Rob a bank,” might help you arrive at “Pitch an angel investor.” The wilder your first-draft idea, the freer you’ll be to discover fertile ground beneath the surface.

6. Get in over your head

Instead of delaying doing something because you fear failure, dive into the deep end because you have no idea how. When you get in over your head7 and take on what you do not yet believe you’re capable of doing, you can very quickly discover strengths you never appreciated and vulnerabilities you can tend and fortify. This is a powerful way to break through your own sound barrier. And if your goal is evolution, there is no downside, no matter what your results. A key variable in this kind of experiment is a healthy relationship with fear. When you harness fear to move you forward8, it can help you dig deeper, reach farther, and step into your greatest potential.

7. Let it go

So much of what we struggle to solve simply comes to resolution on its own, in the background, when we get out of the way. Clearing clutter is one surprisingly effective way to make more room for what we want. Try simplifying your space, spending, or schedule, then notice how much better your relationships, work, and lifestyle become. You could also clear your mental cache with meditation—a practice that reduces stress and rewires your brain9. An app like Headspace makes it easy to get started. Or, maybe simplest of all, shift from solving to daydreaming to become receptive to new ideas and possibilities.

Start small—now

Your best work and best life depend on a fluid and resourced mind, body, and spirit. Investing even the smallest increments in your well-being today will pay dividends in energy, inspiration and output over time. The virtuous circle of “optimal you” starts here, today.

Sage Cohen is the author of Fierce on the Page, The Productive Writer, Writing the Life Poetic, and the poetry collection Like the Heart, the World. Since founding Sage Cohen Global in 1997, she’s been developing communication, education, and empowerment solutions that help people and businesses change the conversation.

Dropbox creates a special folder on the user's computer, the contents of which are then synchronized to Dropbox's servers and to other computers and devices that the user has installed Dropbox on, keeping the same files up-to-date on all devices. Dropbox uses a freemiumbusiness model, where users are offered a free account with a set storage size, with paid subscriptions available that offer more capacity and additional features. Dropbox Basic users are given 2 gigabytes of free storage space. Dropbox Plus users are given 1 terabyte of storage space, as well as additional features, including advanced sharing controls, remote wipe, and an optional Extended Version History add-on. Dropbox offers computer apps for Microsoft Windows, ApplemacOS, and Linux computers, and mobile apps for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone smartphones and tablets. In March 2013, the company acquired Mailbox, a popular email app, and in April 2014, the company introduced Dropbox Carousel, a photo and video gallery app. Both Mailbox and Carousel were shut down in December 2015, with key features from both apps implemented into the regular Dropbox service. In October 2015, it officially announced Dropbox Paper, its collaborative document editor, in a reported effort to expand its operations towards businesses. As of March 2016, Dropbox has 500 million users.

Dropbox has received praise, including the Crunchie Award in 2010 for Best Internet Application, and Macworld`s 2009 Editor's Choice Award for Software. It has been ranked as one of the most valuable startups in the US and the world, with a valuation of over US$10 billion, and it has been described as one of Y Combinator's most successful investments to date. However, Dropbox has also experienced criticism and generated controversy for issues including security breaches and privacy concerns.

History

Dropbox founder Drew Houston

Dropbox founder Arash Ferdowsi

Dropbox founder Drew Houston conceived the Dropbox concept after repeatedly forgetting his USB flash drive while he was a student at MIT. In a 2009 "Meet the Team" post on the Dropbox blog, he wrote that existing services at the time "suffered problems with Internet latency, large files, bugs, or just made me think too much". He began making something for his personal use, but then realized that it could benefit others with the same problems.[9] Houston founded Dropbox, Inc. in June 2007, and shortly thereafter secured seed funding from Y Combinator.[10] Dropbox officially launched at 2008's TechCrunch Disrupt, an annual technology conference.[11] Owing to trademark disputes between Proxy, Inc. and Evenflow (Dropbox's parent company), Dropbox's official domain name was "getdropbox.com" until October 2009, when it acquired its current domain, "dropbox.com".[11] In an interview with TechCrunch´s "Founder Stories" in October 2011, Houston explained that a demo video was released during Dropbox's early days, with one viewer being Arash Ferdowsi. Ferdowsi was "so impressed" that they formed a partnership. In regards to competition, Houston stated that "It is easy for me to explain the idea, it is actually really hard to do it."[12]

User growth

Dropbox has seen steady user growth since its inception. It surpassed the 1 million registered users milestone in April 2010, followed by 2 million in September, and 3 million in November.[13] It passed 50 million users in October 2011,[14] 100 million in November 2012,[15][16] 200 million in November 2013,[17] 400 million in June 2015,[18][19] and 500 million in March 2016.[20][21]

Acquisitions

In July 2012, Dropbox acquired TapEngage, a startup that "enables advertisers and publishers to collaborate on tablet-optimized advertising".[22] The following December, Dropbox acquired two companies; Audiogalaxy, a startup "allowing users to store their music files and playlists in the cloud then stream them to any device",[23] and Snapjoy, a company that allowed users to "aggregate, archive and view all of their digital photos from their cameras, phones and popular apps like Flickr, Instagram and Picasa, and then view them online or via an iOS app".[24] In July 2013, Dropbox acquired Endorse, a "mobile coupon startup".[25]

In May 2014, Dropbox acquired Bubbli, a startup that has "built some innovative ways of incorporating 3D technology into 2D views, and packaging it in a mobile app".[26][27]

In January 2015, Dropbox acquired CloudOn, a company that provided mobile applications for document editing and creation. At the same time, Dropbox told TechCrunch that CloudOn's base in Herzliya would become the first Dropbox office in Israel.[28] In July, Dropbox acquired Clementine, an enterprise communication service.[29]

In April 2014, Dropbox acquired photo-sharing company Loom (which would be shut down and integrated with the then-recently announced Carousel),[30] and document-sharing startup Hackpad.[31][32] Dropbox later announced in April 2017 that Hackpad would be shut down on July 19, with all notes being migrated to Dropbox Paper.[33][34]

Dropbox's apps offer an automatic photo uploading feature, allowing users to automatically upload photos or videos from cameras, tablets, SD cards, or smartphones to a dedicated "Camera Uploads" folder in their Dropbox. Users are given 500 megabytes of extra space for uploading their first photo, and are given up to 3 gigabytes of extra space if users continue using the method for more photos.[40]

In July 2014, Dropbox introduced "streaming sync" for its computer apps. Streaming sync was described as a new "supercharged"[41] synchronization speed for large files that improves the upload or download time by up to 2 times.[42]

Financials

Dropbox received initial funding from seed acceleratorY Combinator.[10] Dropbox also raised US$1.2 million in Series A funding from Sequoia Capital in 2007, that "along with interest (on that amount) converted to equity as part of the Series A investment, which included a fresh slug of US$6 million", bringing the total amount to US$7.25 million, with the round closed in 2008 and documents filed in 2009.[13]

A May 2010 report in The Wall Street Journal said that "since [founder Drew Houston] started reading Eric Ries' Lean startup blog about a year ago, the company has started trickling out new features when they are ready instead of waiting to launch a fully featured product. That helps test customer appetite, he says, dubbing the practice "minimum viable product".[45]

TechCrunch reported in July 2011 that Dropbox had been looking to raise between US$200 and US$300 million, and had a valuation "to end up in the $5 billion to $10 billion range. [...] quite a step up from its previous funding rounds which have totalled a tiny $7.2 million".[46] As noted in a Forbes article, Dropbox had "revenue on track to hit $240 million in 2011".[14]

In April 2012, Dropbox announced that Bono and The Edge, two members of the Irish rock band U2, were individual investors in the company.[47]

Business model

Dropbox uses a freemium business model, where users are offered a free account with a set storage size, with paid subscriptions available that offer more capacity and additional features.[51]

Dropbox Basic users are given 2 gigabytes of free storage space.[51] This can be expanded through referrals; users recommend the service to other people, and if those people start using the service, the user is awarded with additional 500 megabytes of storage space. Dropbox Basic users can earn up to 16 gigabytes through the referral program.[52]

Advanced sharing controls: When sharing a link to a file or folder, users can set passwords and expiration limits.[54]

Remote wipe: If a device is stolen or lost, users can remotely wipe the Dropbox folder from the device the next time it comes online.[55]

"Extended Version History": An available add-on, it makes Dropbox keep deleted and previous versions of files for one year, a significant extension of the default 30-day recovery time.[56]

In November 2013, Dropbox announced changes to "Dropbox for Business" that would enable users to connect both their personal Dropbox and their business Dropbox to the same device, with each of the folders being "properly labeled for personal or work, and come with its own password, contacts, settings, and files". Furthermore, Dropbox announced shared audit logs, remote wipe for business administrators, and account transfers, as new features of its Business offering.[57][17] In January 2017, Dropbox introduced "Smart Sync" for Business and Enterprise customers, a feature that lets Windows and macOS users see all files in the Dropbox folder, but only download specific files on-demand.[58][59]

Dropbox Business is Dropbox's solution for corporations, adding more business-centered functionality for teams, including collaboration tools, advanced security and control, unlimited file recovery, user management and granular permissions, and options for unlimited storage.[60] For large organizations, Dropbox offers Dropbox Enterprise, the "highest tier" of its product offerings, adding domain management tools, an assigned Dropbox customer support member, and help from "expert advisors" on deployment and user training.[61]

In July 2016, Dropbox announced a new "AdminX" administrator dashboard for Business customers, offering improved control of company files and users.[62][63] In June 2017, the AdminX dashboard was given a redesign and additional administrator functions, such as log-in durations, custom password strength parameters, and more granular subdomain verifications for specified teams.[64][65]

Technology

The Dropbox software enables users to drop any file into a designated folder. The file is then automatically uploaded to Dropbox's cloud-based service and made available to any other of the user's computers and devices that also have the Dropbox software installed, keeping the file up-to-date on all systems.[70] When a file in a user's Dropbox folder is changed, Dropbox only uploads the pieces of the file that have been changed, whenever possible.[71]

When a file or folder is deleted, users can recover it within 30 days. For Dropbox Plus users, this recovery time can be extended to one year, by purchasing an "Extended Version History" add-on.[56]

Dropbox also offers a LAN sync feature, where, instead of receiving information and data from the Dropbox servers, computers on the local network can exchange files directly between each other, potentially significantly improving synchronization speeds.[72]

Originally, the Dropbox servers and computer apps were written in Python.[73] In July 2014, Dropbox began migrating its backend infrastructure to Go.[74]

Dropbox originally used Amazon's S3 storage system to store user files, but between 2014 and 2016 they gradually moved away from Amazon to use their own hardware, referred to as "Magic Pocket", due to Dropbox's description as "a place where you keep all your stuff, it doesn’t get lost, and you can always access it".[76] In June 2017, the company announced a major global network expansion, aiming to increase synchronization speeds while cutting costs. The expansion, starting with 14 cities across 7 countries on 3 continents, adds "hundreds of gigabits of Internet connectivity with transit providers (regional and global ISPs), and hundreds of new peering partners (where we exchange traffic directly rather than through an ISP)".[77][78][79]

Dropbox prevents sharing of copyrighted data, by checking the hash of files shared in public folders or between users against a blacklist of copyrighted material. This only applies to files or folders shared with other users or publicly, and not to files kept in an individual's Dropbox folder that are not shared.[82]

Mailbox

In March 2013, Dropbox acquired Mailbox, a popular email app, with Mailbox CEO Gentry Underwood saying that "Rather than grow Mailbox on our own, we've decided to join forces with Dropbox and build it out together".[83] Under the deal, the developers of Mailbox joined Dropbox, but kept Mailbox running as a stand-alone app. Mailbox CEO stated: "We are still struggling to keep up with the demand from those who want to use it", and Dropbox CEO Drew Houston said "We felt we could help Mailbox reach a much different audience much faster".[84][85] The acquisition was reported to cost $100 million.[86][87]

In December 2015, Dropbox announced the shut-down of Mailbox. In a blog post, Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi explained that "We'll [...] be using what we've learned from Mailbox to build new ways to communicate and collaborate on Dropbox".[88][89][90]

Carousel

In April 2014, Dropbox introduced Carousel, a photo and video gallery that "combines the photos in your Dropbox with the photos on your phone, and automatically backs up new ones as you take them." Carousel sorted photos by event and date.[91][92][93] In December 2015, Dropbox announced the shut-down of Carousel. In a blog post, Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi explained that "We'll be taking key features from Carousel back to the place where your photos live - in the Dropbox app."[88][89][90]

Dropbox Paper

In April 2015, Dropbox launched a Dropbox Notes collaborative note-taking service in beta testing phase, prompting speculation if Dropbox was planning to bring out a product to compete with Google Docs. TechCrunch noted that Dropbox Notes appeared to be a new version of "Project Composer", a previous iteration of the service with roots from the acquisition of Hackpad in April 2014.[94][95][96] In October 2015, Dropbox announced the upcoming launch of Dropbox Paper, its collaborative document editor, noted by the media as the result of its development of a Dropbox Notes service earlier in 2015.[97][98][99] Dropbox Paper entered open beta in August 2016, allowing anyone to join and test the product. Mobile apps for Android and iOS were also released.[100][101][102] In January 2017, Dropbox Paper was officially launched. Aimed for businesses, Dropbox Paper was described as "one part online document, one part collaboration, one part task management tool, one part content hub" by Rob Baesman, Dropbox's head of product, and allows for importing, editing, and collaboration on "a number of other file types from Google, Microsoft, and others".[103][104][105]

In 2011, Business Insider named Dropbox the world's sixth most valuable startup,[111] and in 2017, the publication ranked Dropbox as the eighth most valuable US startup, with a valuation of $10 billion.[112] It has been described as one of Y Combinator's most successful investments to date.[113]

Dropbox's mobile iPhone app release in 2010 was among the top 10 "best apps" selected by Alex Ahlund, former CEO of two websites focused on mobile apps,[114] and the company's Android app was also selected as one of the top five "best apps" in a list compiled in 2010 by Jason Hiner for ZDNet.[115]

Founders Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi were named among the top 30 under 30 entrepreneurs by Inc. in 2011.[116]

Privacy and security concerns

Dropbox has been the subject of criticism and controversy related to multiple incidents, including a June 2011 authentication problem that let accounts be accessed for several hours without passwords,[119] a July 2011 Privacy Policy update with language suggesting Dropbox had ownership of users' data,[120] concerns about Dropbox employee access to users' information,[121] July 2012 email spam[122] with recurrence in February 2013,[123] leaked government documents in June 2013 with information that Dropbox was being considered for inclusion in the National Security Agency's PRISM surveillance program,[124][125] a July 2014 comment from NSA whistleblowerEdward Snowden criticizing Dropbox's encryption,[126] the leak of 68 million account passwords on the Internet in August 2016,[127][128] and a January 2017 accidental data restoration incident where years-old supposedly deleted files reappeared in users' accounts.[129][130]

Offices

The Dropbox headquarters, located in San Francisco, were originally at Market Street, until its expansion to the China Basin Landing building in July 2011, allowing for a significant space increase.[131] As the number of employees grew, the company again needed expansion,[132] and in February 2014, it signed a lease for two buildings in Brannan Street.[133] Not needing the substantial amounts of space after all, the company started shopping the remaining available space to other companies for sublease in November 2015.[134]

Dropbox expanded into its second U.S. office in Austin, Texas in February 2014. The State of Texas and City of Austin provided a $1.7 million performance-based incentives package to Dropbox in exchange for locating their office in Austin.[135]

In December 2012, Dropbox set up an office in Dublin, Ireland,[136] its first office outside the United States.[137]

External links

Dropbox is a file storage service. Install their application on all the computers you want synced and Dropbox will sync across these devices and save the files online too. A basic account comes with 2GB of storage. You can pay for more space, if you want. When you install Dropbox on your computer, it will create a folder called “My Dropbox.” Anything you put in this folder will be synced across all the devices that you have Dropbox installed on and saved on the Dropbox website. Dropbox stands out from the pack because of their mobile apps so you can use all your data on the go too.